Decoding Aamir

Aamir Khan has put his foot in his mouth. Going by the traffic on media – social, print or television –  his statement has generated enough comments. As per him, his wife feels there is a state of despondency in this country and fears for their child. One can’t argue with maternal instincts.

But why is it that I do not feel the intolerance and am not suffocated and fear for my children? The pattern that arises in this country over the last so many years is that intolerance, threat of existence, fear etc. are only felt by some minority communities. Is it because they are in the minority and fear the majority community?  68 years of independence has shown that all communities can co-exist with each other.

I interact on a daily basis with all minorities – at work, in a cab, at the marketplace. I do not see the fear in their eyes. I have a lot of friends from minority communities, and nowhere have I got an impression that they live in fear in this country. It is not that when the minority and majority communities come in contact with each other on a daily basis, they are on a state of high alert, ready to thwart off any attack from the other.

Maybe, my inability to feel the intolerance arises from my being a non- celebrity. Celebrities live in a cocoon. In a fan crazy country they love the adulation. They also live a tough life. They and their children cannot live a simple life like we do. It is very difficult for them to go to a movie, or take a hit in the park. They live in their exclusivity and continue to weave that web around themselves. They do not travel by public transport. They do not have to visit the supermarket to shop for groceries. In a literal sense, “Unhe daal aate ka bhaav pata nahin.”

They also have another problem- they need to be in the limelight. The warmth of the focus on them is what gives life to the cocoon. They fear that if the focus on them dwindles, their cocoon will fade. Let us look at Aamir Khan’s story. He does one movie at a time and focuses his energy on the same. His last movie was PK which was released in December 2014. Now we are closer to December 2015. There is a general impression that this statement of his is a publicity stunt, a lead in to the marketing campaign for Dangal.

There are enough Aamir Khans in corporate life. As you grow senior, your year - end appraisal depends upon, among many things, your ‘visibility’. It is important to make your point felt, ask questions in cross functional meetings, so people notice you. There is a pressing need to constantly raise points, issues, questions, irrespective of whether they are relevant.

It does not matter whether these questions are actioned upon. You need to ask a question just to stay in the limelight. And if you go three such meetings without a question, people wonder whether you have lost your touch.

A few things can happen when you ask these questions. One, they can be brilliant questions, which can shape policy or strategy. Cheers to that. Secondly they can be disruptive. Your question might be relevant and very close to the truth, which unfortunately the person chairing the meeting does not want to be asked. It is at that time when the response you get is of sarcasm. This is exactly the way people have reacted to Aamir Khan. Thirdly the question or point you raise can actually go against you. It could be nonsensical but you never intended to make sense. You just wanted to make your presence felt.

I believe Aamir Khan clearly wanted to increase his visibility. The noise against intolerance, which had died down after the Bihar elections, lent credibility to the fact that the entire noise including ‘award wapsi’ was a manufactured debate with a political intention. There would not have been a better vehicle to flog and Aamir did the same. Like the corporate analyst, the objective was to ask a question, and increase his visibility.

This statement has created a lot of negative visibility for Aamir. Is the statement irresponsible? Definitely. Has he overplayed his hand? I don’t think so. Given the short public memory, the issue will die down after two months. His objective was to return to the limelight, which he has achieved. The tolerant and forgiving country that India is, the issue will be forgotten at the release of Dangal, which will be a superhit, and Aamir will laugh all the way to the bank.

It is sad that a great story about two women wrestlers (Geeta and Babita Phogat who to me are bigger heroes than Aamir) and their father has got mired in this controversy.

Every person creates a personal image or a brand within the organisation or society. It takes years to create an impression and one bad statement to shatter that image. I wonder what is more important, visibility or cultivation of a personal brand. Wonder what pays off in the long run.